Waterstem Bush

This giant shrub grows up to 11 feet (3.4 meters) tall and lives for around 36 years. It is not very resistant to disease and destructive insect infestation.

It has several long and flexible, straight stems covered in wrinkled, silver bark, and the wood inside is dark brown.

The branches are short stubs with thousands of twigs that and are covered with very large amounts of tiny, cylindrical, leaves with serrated edges. The leaves themselves are either bronze, or lilac with sky blue streaks, durable and leathery.

In early spring it produces bunches of small, beige blossoms with perforated petals with a trumpet-shaped floral cup. They detach easily and have an intensely strong scent that smells like a man.

In late winter needle-like fruits ripen. The fuzzy white skin is thick and edible when roasted; it is sweet, and the slightly crunchy lilac flesh is savoury and syrupy. The beige seeds are large and are scattered throughout the fruit.